Kyra
by firstofeternity
Summary: Meil, alone in a world that never seems to be on his side, is suprised to find a Riolu, neglected in an alleyway. No matter how hard he trys to convince himself, he can't help the feelings he has towards her. Reviews would be appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Kyra

A Pokemon Fanfiction By, David Horn

All original characters © David Horn

All characters from Pokemon © Gamefreak

Chapter 1: Meil's Melancholy

Stars dotted the ever darkening sky as Meil sat on a rotting, old mattress in the alleyway, quietly watching a Zigzagoon drag a browning banana peel through the trash. His short, brown ponytail swayed slightly as a breeze drifted between the two buildings, and he wrapped his wool poncho tighter around himself as the autumn evening brought temputures down. He shivered, but tried to ignore the cool, crisp air seeping through his clothes like water.

He didn't want to go back home, not now, not ever. He and his mother had yet another argument, this time about his father, which, Meil knew, would push his mother to the breaking point. Ever since his mother divorced his father, the house has always had an uncomfortable tension, as if a bomb could go off at any moment.

Meil had escaped, into the dark alleyways of Jubilife City, where he now sat. He felt more alone than ever before. He had no human friends, and he had let go of any of his Pokemon friends. But he didn't care, he hated them all. He hated people, he hated Pokemon. Right now, it just seemed he hated everyone. He wrapped his arms around his knees to contain his own warmth, and stared blankly at the brick wall in front of him.

What did he care? People were scum. At least Pokemon didn't go around bugging him. The Zigzagoon was now munching the banana peel hungrily in a dark corner, ignoring Meil's presence completely, which was all right with him. Suddenly, Meil heard a small scratching noise from a trash bag to his left. He turned to look down at the nearest trash bag, which seemed to be whimpering and scratching softly. Meil, his boredom left behind, looked into the trash bag, and was given a shock.

A Riolu stumbled out of the trash bag, skinny and shivering, it's frail body covered in dirt and trash. "Oh, so it was you making those annoying noises.", Meil said rudely, turning to stare at the brick wall once more, losing himself in his own thoughts of anger and frustration.

The Riolu pawed his leg as an attempt to get his attention. "Leave me alone.", Meil said sourly, looking down at the Riolu with disgust.

The Riolu persistently nudged him, and Meil scowled down at her. "Go away! Beat it! Git!", he pointed down the alley. She didn't leave, instead, she tried to scramble onto his lap. "What do I have to do to get you to go away?", he snarled, pushing her off his lap, but not forcefully. She whimpered, and laid her head against him.

Meil groaned in irritation. "Listen, I've got nothing for you, so leave me alone." Meil got up, and the Riolu toppled into the depression in the trash bag, where Meil had been sitting. Meil turned, and started to walk away. The Riolu tried to chase after him, but it tripped on it's own feet, and fell on it's back on the cold brick of the sidewalk.

It began to cry, and Meil turned to look down at it. Meil was unusually tall for being 15 in the first place, but compared to this tiny creature, if it were to stand up, it would only just reach his knees. The Riolu looked utterly pathetic as it sniveled, trying in vain to support itself. "What do you want?", Meil said, sighing deeply, and kneeling down to the Riolu's level, staring intently at it's determined face, as it attempted to stand.

Close up, the Riolu looked almost half-dead. He could not imagine how long this thing had been out here without food or water. "Geez, your trainer must of been a complete asshole to leave you out here like this." He said, picking a tick out of her fur. Meil rolled his eyes up towards the stars that were reflected in it's large red eyes. "Okay, i'll make you a deal. I'll take care of you until you're all better. We'll go to the Pokecenter, and get you all cleaned up. But then you're going back to the wild, you understand?"

The Riolu made a feeble cry of joy, and crawled towards Meil, only to fall flat on it's face. Meil shook his head. "How do I get into these things...?" He picked up the Riolu like a baby, cradling it in his arms.

"Now don't think I like you or anything, because I don't, I just feel sorry for you because you look like a mess. And because your trainer was such a complete jerk to leave you here." The Riolu didn't seem to notice Meil talking, instead, she snuggled deeper into his arms, and made a small cooing noise of pleasure.

Meil stared straight in front of him. He didn't care. Not one bit.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Kyra Gets Her Name

"Can you tell me how she got in this state?", the nurse asked, inspecting the Riolu. Meil just shook his head. "I found her in the alleyway down the street. She was buried in the garbage. I think someone left her there." The nurse sighed heavily. "It's a shame. This happens all the time. Some trainers are so obsessed with power over companionship, that they simply throw away the Pokemon that aren't strong enough."

Meil's face was grim in rage. "That's sick.", he said in a disgusted tone. The nurse looked sympathetically down at the Riolu's filthy state. "It happens everyday sadly. They're just left to die in dumpsters and alleys."

"So, will she be all right?", Meil asked as the Riolu squirmed playfully in his arms. "Oh, yes. But it was lucky you found her when you did. I don't think she would have survived another night without proper nourishment." Meil felt a small lightness in his stomach. He was feeling relieved, but quickly suppressed these new and unfamiliar feelings as he passed the Riolu to the nurse.

"I'll be back to tell you how she's doing." Meil nodded as the nurse carried the Riolu through a door, leaving Meil to sit, and wait it out. Meil prodded his own feelings as he flipped through a Pokemon magazine unconsciously. Why was he feeling concerned? He didn't care what happen, right? It didn't matter, he was probably just tired.

He put down the magazine, and leaned back in the armchair, staring up at the white lights glaring down at him from the ceiling. When he closed his eyes, bright stars burst in front of his eyelids. He was so tired, he just wanted to sleep right there.

His eyelids were starting to close when a voice in front of him jerked him awake. "Excuse me," Meil sat up, yawning, sliding his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "Wha...?" "your Riolu will be staying for the night, but she should be fine by tomorrow. She's suffering from severe dehydration and starvation, but because of you, she will recover."

"Oh, um... she's not mine." "Well, yes I know, but I suppose you are rightfully her trainer now, considering you did find her." "But I'm not a trainer.", Meil protested. "Be as it may, she's still yours. Anyway, she will be ready to leave tomorrow, so you may rest here for the night. Feel free to the cafeteria if you're hungry." "Thank you.", Meil muttered, and the nurse departed through the doors once more.

Meil opened his eyes slowly, looking up at blinding lights on the ceiling. He'd fallen asleep in the armchair, and his back had been in an uncomfortable slumping position, making sitting up an effort. The windows revealed a gray and dreary morning, rain tapping lightly on the windows and roof.

Meil amused himself by reading tedious magazines, as the clock on the wall across from him ticked away the minutes. The door that the nurse had entered swung open, and the same nurse, holding a quietly snoozing Riolu, approached Meil, her face set in a glowing smile.

"Here she is.", she said proudly, setting the Riolu carefully in Meil's lap. Meil thought he was looking at a completely different Riolu all together. Her fur was sleek, clean, and felt like velvet to the touch and her body looked full and well nourished.

The ticks in her fur had been washed out, and she gave off the pleasant scent of shampoo. Meil's stomach began to feel light again, and this time he couldn't help it. She looked amazing. "Wow...", he whispered softly, touching her fur as if he couldn't believe anything could feel so warm, so full of life.

It had been such a long time since he'd ever been near a Pokemon. He'd forgotten what it felt like. But among these nostalgic feelings, there was a different, more foreign emotion he couldn't explain to himself. But it would have to wait, for now.

Meil stepped out into the pouring rain, holding the Riolu the same way he had the day before; cradled in his arms. The clean, fresh air was delightful after sitting in the stuffy Pokecenter lobby for such a long time. Meil looked down at the Riolu, still asleep, even as tiny raindrops spattered her glossy fur.

"Right, well. She's all better now. It's time to let her go." He said, walking down the street to route 202. A cluster of tall trees made a dry spot where the rain could not get through the leaves. He set her down on the ground at the foot of one of the trees. He backed away, then turned and began pacing silently away.

He knew, even before he'd taken five steps, that it was to late. He was stuck. He was attached to her, and he knew it. He turned to face her, still sleeping soundly against the trunk. The rain was soaking his clothes as he stood, looking down at the her.

Did he really want to be alone all his life, when the path to happiness unlike any he'd experienced before was staring him in the face? He knew he would be putting her in more danger than she would even know, but that didn't matter anymore. He didn't have to tell anyone. And if that danger came again, he would fight, he would not run anymore.

He picked her off the ground, and that same wonderful feeling of lightness surged back inside him. And as his arms held her close to his chest, he saw a tiny, yet beautiful blue flower growing between the roots of a tree. He recognized that flower. It was called Kyra's Bloom. Kyra. The name floated into his mind, and stuck there.

Touching her face gingerly, he whispered, "Hi, Kyra."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Tournament

Two weeks later...

"It's so cold...", Kyra said, burying her face in Meil's hair and shivering. Kyra was learning english readily by now, and Meil was still getting used to the fact that Riolu's and Lucario's were one of those rare Pokemon, capable of learning and speaking human languages.

"I know. It's starting to snow. Look!", Meil said, looking up as the graying sky began dropping tiny snowflakes that drifted lazily in the breeze. "They probably won't stick, it's not even winter yet." "They're still pretty."

"Yah, they are." Kyra had her arms around Meil's neck as she piggy backed on his shoulders. "Look, up ahead is Eterna City.", Meil pointed out, as the faint outline of buildings appeared before them. "That's where the tournament is being held." "Why do we need to go to a tournament?", Kyra asked curiously, still mesmerized by the snow falling like little white stars.

"There's a cash prize of 10,000 Pokemoney-" "Is that a lot?" "yes, and we definitely could use the money. If we can at least get third place, we'll still get 2,500 Pokemoney for us to spend."

Suddenly, he jumped in realization. "Oh! I forgot, I got something to help you evolve quicker. You'll need to evolve so that you can have a better chance of winning. I'm not much of a trainer, but I still know how to battle.", he said with a grin.

He took Kyra off his shoulders, and set her on a wooden bench that was speckled with melting snowflakes. "Here, you could say it's sort of a present." He knelt down and took a small, silver bell from his pocket, with a long string attached to it.

"A Soothe Bell. It's supposed to make you feel happy when you ring it. Try it." He pushed the bell into her outstretched paws. She looked at her distorted reflection on the surface, then lightly tapped the bell. A high, silvery sound rang from the inside of the bell.

The sound was pleasant to to the senses, and make Meil feel unexpectedly giddy. "See? Neat, huh?" He helped her put it around her neck, and she smiled up at Meil, her red eyes sparkling. "This is the best present I'v ever been given.", she whispered. Meil blushed ever so lightly. "Well, it's the only present you've ever been given.", he said, laughing slightly.

"How does it help me evolve?", she asked, ringing the bell with something more than enthusiasm. "Well, if I learned correctly, certain Pokemon, like you, will only evolve if they share a special bond with their trainers. Oh, and you can only evolve during the daytime."

She looked confused. "Like a plant?" "Um, no. Not like photosynthesis. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it works.", he said shrugging. "So when do I know when I'm evolving?", Kyra asked him, polishing the bell on her fur. "Well, I'm not sure.", Meil admitted. "We did all that training all ready. Maybe we just don't have a strong enough bond." "But, I like you."

Meil smiled in spite of himself. "I like you, too." He started wondering, did he really mean it? He had promised to himself, begged himself that he wouldn't get attached to her. But was his mind really listening to him? He checked his watch. "The tournament starts in an hour. So we just need you to evolve before it starts, somehow."

Meil sat down on the bench beside her, sighing heavily, a long stream of vapor escaping his mouth in the frigid air. "Well, we'll just have to wait." A long silence followed. Snowflakes fell heavily now, dusting Meil and Kyra in the cold, wet flakes.

Kyra shivered as a chilling breeze blew across her fur. Meil took off his poncho, and wrapped it around her. "Are you warm now?" Kyra looked up at his face, pink with cold. "But aren't you cold?" Meil just smiled somewhat sadly. "Nah, I'm fine. You need it more than I do."

These words seemed to have strange effect on Kyra. She suddenly gasped, as if touched by something searing hot.

"Meil, what's happening?", she said nervously, as her body began to glow brightly, as if she was being exposed to an ultraviolet light, her body seemed to be extending. "Kyra, we did it! You're evolving!" "I am-", her response was cut off as the glow consumed her body.

Meil watched, entranced, as Kyra's body changed before his eyes. She appeared to be stretching out, long and slender. Meil was alarmed to see her topple off the bench to the ground, her body now writhing with the intensity of the change.

"Kyra! Are you okay?" Meil was by her side in a second. The glowing slowly died away, and Kyra the Lucario grinned weakly up at Meil. "We did it.", she said, her voice, slightly maturer than before, filled with excitement. Meil could utter a single word except, "Wow..." She stood up, somewhat unsteady on her new legs. "So, how do I look?" Meil wanted to say, "You look gorgeous."

But he thought that might embarrass her, yet he wasn't able to think of anything else that would describe her perfectly. "You look incredible." Kyra could hear the amazement in his voice, and she blushed, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."

Meil was surprised with himself. He didn't even seem to be seeing her as a Pokemon. Not just a companion anymore, but maybe, something more. A girlfriend? He chuckled to himself. That was just crazy! She was a Pokemon!

Sure, she was more beautiful than any human girl he'd ever seen, but was it even possible? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was bad enough he was becoming this close to her, but to actually fall in love with her?

"Meil? Are you okay?" Meil felt Kyra shaking his arm. Meil snapped out of his own thoughts. "Ah, what? Oh, right! What time is it?" He checked his watch again. "We've still got 45 minutes until it starts! Come on! We can easily make it!"

The tournament wasn't very hard to find. It was being held on one of the wide streets of Eterna City. Flags hanging by strings fluttered slightly in the breeze as a large crowd began accumulating around a large circle drawn by chalk which Meil guessed was where the battles were being held, and by the sound of it, there was already a huge battle going on.

"I didn't know this was an outside tournament.", he remarked, guiding Kyra through the crowd to get a better view of the battle currently in progress. Everyone in the crowd was dressed warmly as the freezing wind numbed exposed fingers and noses. Some even had their Pokemon dressed for the cold weather.

A large stand with a microphone was set up for the judge to stand on. Meil made it to the edge of the battlefield with Kyra to see a Scyther dodge a Gallade's Psycho Cut, and counter with a wicked Aerial Ace.

The two Pokemon clashed fiercely as they kicked up dust under them, they're scythes and swords cutting the air. "Yikes!", Kyra exclaimed, jumping back as the Scyther slashed across the Gallade's chest with terrifying agility, it's sharp scythes coming close to dismembering her and the nearby crowd.

The Gallade, bleeding from a gash on it's left shoulder, charged at the Scyther, who blocked the attack one second to late, and the Gallade's sword thrust across it's face.

Now both Pokemon were furious. They were fighting so ferociously, their attacks flashed like swords, blocking, jabbing, and thrusting violently. The Scyther launched it's scythe out of nowhere, and the Gallade crossed it's swords in an attempt to block the attack.

But the thrust was so strong it broke the Gallade's stance. The Scyther took the opportunity to jab it's other scythe through the Gallade's already injured shoulder.

The crowd grew silent all of the sudden. Gallade winced in pain as the scythe went through is shoulder. The Scyther withdrew it's blade from the Gallade's shoulder. It fell to the ground with a hard thunk, and lay motionless, blood streaming from it's wound.

The judge held up a white flag. "Gallade is unable to battle! Scyther wins!" The crowd roared their approval, and the Gallade's trainer, a young girl, rushed over to tend to her injured Pokemon.

Meil looked over at Kyra, who's eyes were wide. "That was scary...", she said shakily. "He'll be all right. It's just a battle." Kyra just winced, as if imagining being cut in two.

"I don't think I can do this.", Kyra gulped. Meil looked at her, and noticed that she was almost his height. He was usually used to looking down at her. "You don't have to.", Meil told her. Kyra shook her head. "No, i'll do it. I know enough from my training. How hard could it be?" Meil smiled. "Kyra," "What?" "thank you." "For what?"

"For doing this for me, even though you're scared." Meil was given a shock when Kyra suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I was never tall enough to do this before.", she laughed. Meil could feel the blood rush to his face.

Her warm, furry cheek felt nice against his cold, numb one. "What's this for?", Meil asked, as she continued to hold him close. Meil was silently aware of a small percent of the crowd watching them curiously. "Just for being with me.", she whispered in his ear.

"Next up! Kyra the Lucario, versus Scyther!" Meil grabbed Kyra's paws, the most affectionate gesture he'd made towards her yet. "Kyra, are you ready?" Kyra looked up into his eyes, shaking slightly. "I think so."

"Just remember Kyra, i'll be here watching you. But don't get distracted, okay?" "Let's start this battle!", the judge called. "Wish me luck!", Kyra said, and before rushing on to the field, she gave Meil a swift kiss on the cheek. Meil watched her go, his hand slowly going to his cheek where she'd kissed him.

Kyra took her position on the right side of the field, the Scyther taking the left. They stared each other down, Kyra cracking her knuckles, and the Scyther impatiently clawing ground, looking livid. Kyra tried not to look as anxious as she felt. Up close, the Scyther looked more dinosaur than bug.

Meil looked down the field to see the trainer he was battling. It was a boy about his age, and for some reason, he looked nervous. Meil couldn't imagine why.

His Scyther had just beat the living daylights out of that Gallade a few minutes ago, so why would he find Kyra that intimidating? Before Kyra could mentally prepare herself, the judge waved a green flag and yelled, "Let the battle begin!" The Scyther crossed it's scythes as Kyra came charging faster than Meil had anticipated, her Force Palm only making the Scyther skid a few inches.

The Scyther turned so that he was behind Kyra in a second, and slashed with terrifying speed. Kyra ducked, and Meil knew she had an advantage with aura, since she could detect most of the attacks directed at her. Kyra took this opportunity, and buried her fist into the Scyther's tender abdomen.

He doubled over as Kyra slid from under him and launched a Dark Pulse that hit him squarely in the face. Kyra was gaining confidence, as she seemed to be winning so far. The blast from the Dark Pulse kicked up a cloud of dust that mixed with the snow in the air.

Suddenly, the Scyther shot from the dust cloud, it's wings beating the air menacingly as it charged downwards. The dust cleared as the Scyther's wings beat the air, and Kyra jumped out of the way a split second before the Scyther slashed in mid-air. Meil was watching the trainer across from him carefully. Something wasn't right.

The Scyther appeared be throwing quick glances at it's trainer, who was making small signals with his hands. The boy made a motion like an X with his fingers, and the Scyther gave a shadow of a nod. Suddenly, the Scyther simply disappeared into thin air.

The crowd fell eerily silent, and Kyra was looking left and right. Meil saw she was trying to use aura to detect him, but he seemed simply invisible.

Wham! The Scyther, appearing out of nowhere behind Kyra, charged her down, making her fall flat on her face. The Scyther crossed it's scythes across her neck, holding her down with his sharp talons. Meil was alarmed, and felt like running on to the field to protect Kyra, but that would instantly disqualify him.

Kyra struggled and kicked. Her left foot connected with the Scyther's leg, and he stumbled. Kyra loosed a Dark Pulse into his stomach from under him, and the Scyther winced as the pulse stuck a weak point. He blindly slashed the ground, but Kyra was all ready on her feet. Her tail twitching, a tired yet devious smile on her muzzle.

She suddenly leapt into the air, and her leg was a fiery blur as she struck with a fierce Blaze Kick, hitting the Scyther in the small of the back. He was down in a burst of flames, and a crack of exoskeleton. The crowd went wild, and the judge held up a white flag.

"The victory goes to Meil's Lucario, Kyra!" Kyra almost tackled Meil to the ground as she threw her arms around him. Yet Meil was to intent on watching the other boy to notice. The boy's face was full of panic and fear. He ran to his Scyther, and picked him up hastily, dragging him through the crowd which parted to let him through.

"What the...?" Meil watched the boy stop as a tall man wearing a hooded jacket stepped in front of him. The boy appeared to pleading to the man, but the man pushed him aside, and left the boy sitting on the cold ground, clutching his Scyther, real tears of terror and fear running down his face.

"Meil, what is it?" Kyra was looking up at Meil, his face set in grim concern. "What was that about?" "What was what about?", Kyra asked, looking in the same direction Meil had been looking, but by this time, the crowd had all ready obscured the boy and the hooded man.

"Er, nothing.", Meil said, trying to sound unconcerned as he turned his attention back to Kyra's victory.

Why did hooded stranger seem eerily familiar to him? But no, it couldn't be. No. He was just being paranoid. It wasn't possible. Not here. Not out in the open. Even so, he could not help that uneasy feeling, like an itch that just wouldn't go away.

The judges voice echoing from the stand woke Meil to the current situation. "Trainers, get ready for the next battle starting in two minutes!"

"So, Kyra. Are you ready?", Meil asked, spraying a few of her cuts and bruises with super potion. She nodded. The terrible anxiety she felt before had lifted. She felt confident, and ready for more. The cold air felt bracing on her skin as she strolled out to face her next challenger.

Meil was disturbed slightly to see the man wearing the hood facing him. The hood obscured his face, making him impossible to recognize. Meil heart skipped several beats. A massive black Charizard, it's leathery black wings beating the air, it's sharp teeth bared in a snarl. And on it's forehead, was a tattoo of a ring with a new moon inside it.

Meil was petrified. He did not know what to do. He knew who the man was now. He recognized him just by his Charizard. All his Pokemon had that tattoo printed on their forehead. He would not panic this time. He just needed to remain calm. The man could do nothing in a large crowd like this one.

"Next up! Charizard versus Kyra the Lucario!" Meil ran up to Kyra, and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Kyra,", he whispered. "that man, with the Charizard. I know who he is." Kyra looked behind her. "Is he your friend?" Meil shook his head furiously. "No! He's the complete opposite!

Kyra, he wants to kill me!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Order of the Full Moon

Tony threw a look right, over at Alice from the back of his Salamence, who was gazing into space atop her perch on her Honchkrow. "Alice, pay attention. Did you hear a thing of what I just said?" Alice jumped at the sound of his voice, and looked over at him as if she hadn't seen him before.

"What? Oh, um. Something about lawnmowers?" The Chatot perched on her shoulder echoed, "Lawnmowers... Lawnmowers..." Tony raised an eyebrow. "You weren't listening, Alice." The woman crossed her arms grumpily. "Well I'm bored! We've been sitting here for an hour, and I'm freezing! It must be like what? Minus ten degrees?"

The scrawny boy sitting on the back of a large Tropius to Tony's left muttered, "31 degrees actually." Alice threw a dirty look at him. "Well thanks, Mr. Know-It-All." Tony interrupted with a loud clear of his throat before they could start an argument. "Alice, Dorin, quiet. It's almost time. Look! Here he comes!"

Tony, Alice, and Dorin hovered over the tournament quietly, watching, listening, and waiting. The judges voice reverberated in the air as he spoke into the microphone. "Next up! Charizard versus Kyra the Lucario!" "Get ready!", Tony called. "Oh, dear...", Alice said anxiously, her attention now focused on the hooded man, and the boy with the ponytail and glasses.

"When I say 'go', we swoop in. Alice, you get in there and keep Coal distracted. Dorin, your job is to distract the Charizard so that Coal won't be able to fly on it. I'll go for Meil and Kyra. We want to do this as quickly as possible. Let's hope nobody gets hurt. But if I get injured, do whatever you can to take Meil and Kyra for me. Do you understand?"

Alice gave a strangled laugh. "Sure, no problem! What the hell could possibly go wrong?!" Dorin simply nodded quietly, adjusting his lab coat absently. "Wait for it...", Tony whispered, holding up his hand. "Let the battle begin!", called the judge. "Now!", Tony yelled, and both Dorin and Alice zoomed in front of him as he yelled, "Go!"

The Salamence beat it's gigantic wings, and began to soar low over the trees. He didn't have time to see how the others were doing, he had to find Meil and Kyra. Alice's Honchkrow cawed loudly and intimidatingly as it swooped upon the hooded man, the Chatot on her shoulder also cawing, yet his were not as intimidating.

The man removed his hood to reveal a pale, pock-marked face, framed by short hair that spiked out in odd directions like static electricity. His eyes were surrounded by dark rings. Between his eyes was a small straight nose. The man looked expressionlessly up at the sudden assault as if he was simply watching a couple of flying birds.

"I should have seen this coming...", the man said to himself as he broke into a run towards the black Charizard. "Charizard, let's move!" The man looked quickly over at the boy with the ponytail and his Lucario, who were backing away as a large Salamence bared down upon them.

People screamed and ran in all directions at the judges table was thrown over as the black Charizard attempted to slash at the Tropius, just hovering out of reach. "Charizard, get the boy!", the man commanded. The Charizard seemed oblivious to his master's orders as the Tropius taunted it with loud cries and the occasion Magical Leaf.

The Charizard flew into the air, it's Flamethrower barely clipping the Tropius's wing as it zigzagged through the air evasively. "Damn it!", the man said under his breath. He sprinted towards the boy and the Lucario, pushing panicking people out of his way as he drew closer to the boy, who was already being dragged away by another tall man wearing a lab coat.

Meil tried to wrench his arm away from the man grabbing him. "What do you want!?", he yelled at the man.

"You and Kyra must get on! Come on now! Go!"

"How do you know her na-"

"I'll explain later! Get on the Salamence!"

All of the sudden, the other man grabbed the hood of Meil's poncho. Meil made a choking sound as he was pulled back. "Your mine!", he man said angrily as he pulled harder. Tony let go of Meil and tackled the man, who released Meil instantly as Tony threw him to the ground. "Coal, let go of him now!" Meil grabbed Kyra as he franticly climbed up the Salamence's scaly back.

Meil watched the man in the lab coat climb in front of him and yell, "Go!" The Salamence was quickly in the air as Coal glared up at them. The Tropius began to swoop away from the enraged Charizard as it started to tire, landing as he watched the three figures fly into the distance.

Coal stormed up to his Charizard in a temper. "Charizard, why didn't you listen to me you son of a bitch!?", he shouted. The Charizard looked at the snow speckled ground with a grim expression on it's dragonish face. "Let's get out of here.", Coal said bitterly, turning to watch the three specks disappear into the overcast sky. "Besides, we'll find them again."

Meil held tightly to the Salamence's hide as it swooped low over snow capped mountains, the frigid wind numbing his entire face. He could feel Kyra's arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "So, can you at least tell us where we are going?", Meil shouted over the roaring in his ears.

"Headquarters of the Order of the Full Moon. I'm Tony, the leader of the organization.", Tony said loudly, his dark curly hair collecting flakes of snow like dandruff. He pointed to his left where a short boy with slick blonde hair, maybe a year younger than Meil, was riding a Tropius that was just visible through the blinding snow.

"That's Dorin, the brains of the order." Then he pointed right, towards a woman wearing a lab coat like the other two, her long, bright red hair flowing out behind her as she flew. "That's Alice. You could say she's the lack of brains of the order." "I heard that!", Alice barked.

"Well then what are you?", Tony asked in an amused tone. "I'm the dumb bitch in the lab coat!" Alice retorted. Tony laughed, "Of course!"

Meil could feel them lower in altitude as the Salamence began to dive into a valley blanketed in white snow. The Salamence flapped it's wings to slow their descent, kicking up swirling clouds of snowflakes. Dorin and Alice landed a few feet away.

Meil looked around, brushing snow out of his hair. The valley was very silent, as the snow absorbed all the sound around them. It was dark too, not only because the overcast sky blocked out the sun, but they were standing in one of the mountains shadows, making the lighting unusually dim. Tall evergreens dotted the inner valley and the slopes of the mountains.

"We're here.", Tony said, sliding off the Salamence's back, his feet sinking a few inches into the snow. "Where are we?", Meil asked, looking up at a mountain as it towered over them like a monstrous, white shadow. "The Snowpoint Mountains. Pretty remote around here. Hikers don't even go this far in."

Meil turned to look at Kyra, who's black, blue, and yellow fur was covered in powdery snow, like a sugar topping. She was wide eyed and shaking slightly. Her face looked pale and sickly. "Kyra, what's wrong?", Meil asked her. "I-I don't think I like flying.", she said, looking like she might pass out.

"Don't worry, we're on the ground now.", he said, in an attempt to comfort her. "Come on! Let's get inside before we freeze to death!", Alice called.

Meil helped Kyra down from the Salamence's back, but her legs were to shaky to support her, and by Meil's request, he carried her instead.

The Salamence, Honchkrow, Tropius, and Chatot were returned to their trainers as Tony began walking down toward what appeared to be a dark cave in the side of one of the mountains. Icicles hung like sharp teeth from the mouth of the cave as they were quickly swallowed by darkness.

Meil heard the faint cries of Zubat's deep within the mountain. "Where is this headquarters?", Meil asked, his voice echoing against the walls of the cave. "Right here.", Tony said, clicking on a flashlight, and pointing it towards a blank stone wall. "I don't see anything.", Meil said flatly, shifting Kyra's weight from one arm to another.

"Watch and learn.", Tony smirked. He crouched down where the floor of the cave connected with the wall. Between these was a three foot long, thin keyboard-like device. It had three tiny scanners, and a row of keys with the numbers 0 through 9. "What is that?", Meil asked, crouching to get a better look at it, while still supporting Kyra in his arms.

"It's to make sure we don't have any unexpected guest at headquarters. As long as you have either me, Alice, or Dorin with you, you can get in." He pointed to each function individually.

"Those three scanners are thumb print scanners. After we scan our thumbs, we put in a secret passcode. Each one of us has a different passcode, as well as a different thumb scanner, to make it harder for anyone intruders intending on getting in."

He placed his thumb on the scanner, which flashed four times, before making a small beep, and a tiny red light began blinking. He quickly typed in the passcode, his fingers flying over the keyboard so fast, you could not even tell what he'd been typing.

There was a sudden rumbling within the wall, and Meil stepped back, alarmed, as if he expected the wall to collapse. A slab of the wall began sliding sideways into the cave wall, revealing a metallic door.

Tony walked to face the door, which scanned his face with a red laser that passed across his face several times before there was a loud, mechanical clanking from within the door, and it slowly slid into the wall to reveal an entrance, with strange, blue light spilling out the doorway onto the stone floor.

Tony, Alice, and Dorin walked through the doorway, followed by Meil and Kyra. The room they entered was a large room full of computers, which explained all the blue light. Tony pressed a red button near the doorway, and the doors slid back into place with a satisfying click.

"Well, home sweet home.", Alice sighed, plopping down in a chair in front of one of the computers, and leaning back in it, exhausted. Tony opened another door located at the back of the computer room. "Your room is down here.", he said, leading Meil and Kyra down a long hallway lined a with doors.

A few of the doors had warnings on them such as, "Keep Out", "Hazardous", and "Caution". "That one is Alice's room.", he said with a laugh, pointing out the room with the sign, "Keep Out".

"There's Dorin's room." A door with a poster of the periodic table. "And that's my room." There was a door that was covered in random posters of space, stars, planets, and other scientific figures. "And the kitchen." He gestured towards a door with the sign, "Human Food Only". "We had that sign installed after Alice accidentally put liquid nitrogen in the cooler.", he said with a grin.

"And, last but not least, is your room. That is to say, yours, and Kyra's room. You'll be sharing the same bed, since we could only fit one." He referred to a the door at the very end of the hallway. Meil looked slightly confused. "What do you mean, 'you could only fit one'?" Tony sighed, running his long fingers through his thick, dark hair.

"Well, let's just say we don't exactly have a whole lot of room here." Meil looked down the hall where there were at least twelve or eleven doors.

Tony seemed to notice this, because he quickly said, "Well, we have a lot of room, but it's most of it is either cluttered or occupied. This was the best we could find. There was room in Alice's bedroom, but we thought you need your privacy, and Alice wasn't exactly agreeing to donate her space anyway."

He opened the door to a small room, though in reality, it wasn't really a room, as much as a closet. Clothes hung from high ceiling of the closet; lab coats, jackets, and other various articles of clothing.

A bed piled with thick sheets and pillows was crammed into a corner.

The room was lit by a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, but because of the clothes, not much light actually made it to the bottom. The clothes were low enough that if sat up in the bed, your head would just touch the bottom of the clothes.

"Okay, so it was actually a wardrobe, but it was the best we could do.", Tony explained as Meil had to bend over to keep his head from colliding with the mass of clothes. Kyra sat down on the bed and bounced a little on the Dratini sheets. "It's nice.", Kyra said politely. Meil sat down on the bed beside Kyra. The bed could barely fit two people.

Meil was somewhat curious of what it would be to sleep in the same bed with Kyra. She had always rested in her Pokeball at night, but usually spent her time out of her Pokeball, simply because she enjoyed being with Meil.

Tony stood in doorway saying, "Meil, I'm sure you have a lot of questions as to why you're here, and why we need you." Meil looked up at him. "Well, yes. I'v been wondering that."

"Well, rest for today. We will explain everything tomorrow. We've got some research to do, so make yourself at home, and if you're hungry, remember the kitchen. The bathroom is the second door to your left.", with this, he closed the door, leaving Meil and Kyra sitting in their new bedroom, if it could be called that. To Meil, it was still a closet with a bed.

Kyra looked over at Meil, her face slightly anxious. "Meil, what's going on?" Meil laid down on the bed, staring up at the clothes that created something like second ceiling. "I have no idea. But sooner or later, we will know." He sat again, and smiled warmly at her. "It'll be all right.", he said soothingly.

"Meil,"

"What?"

"Are you scared?"

"No. Not really."

"I am."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Betrayers

"I'm getting tired, Meil.", Kyra yawned. Meil nodded. "Yah, it's getting late anyway." Since Meil could not tell time by lighting, he had to continuously check his watch to keep track. Meil offered to let Kyra sleep in the bed also. She agreed to his offer to his excitement.

As the lights in the closet was turned off, and they were sent into complete darkness, Meil could feel her climb into the bed; could hear the creaking of the mattress as it struggled to hold both of them at once. Meil was squashed against the wall as she snuggled underneath the covers. Meil turned on his side to make more room.

Though he couldn't see anything; even if he were to wave his hand in front of his face, but he could feel Kyra's warm breath on his face, and he knew she was facing him. He felt her nose bump his, and he whispered, "Oh, hi Kyra. I can't see a thing. Can you?" To his surprise, she replied, "Yes. Aura let's me see, even in complete darkness."

Meil felt slightly stupid that he hadn't remembered. "Oh, I forgot about that." "Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you.", she said, a hint of deviousness in her voice that seemed to be coming from nowhere.

The next day, Tony called Meil and Kyra after a short breakfast into the computer room. Alice and Dorin were both sitting in the room, wearing grim expressions. "Sit down.", Tony said, gesturing towards two seats by a nearby desk.

Tony sat in a chair in front of them, put his hands together and took a deep breath, watching Meil and Kyra intently. "It's about time we told you everything. Or at least everything we know so far." "Good,", Meil said. "I want to know what's going on." "Right, well. Where to start? 3 years ago, Meil, you visited the Church of Arcues in Hearthome City. You met an old man named Lucifer Doj, who told you the Song of the Heaven's Pipe.

But later that same month, Lucifer was murdered after refusing to give information." Meil stopped him abruptly. "But the newspaper said he died from a heart attack." "That was a cover-up. Our enemies don't want the public knowing what they're doing. And I'm sure you're wondering who our enemies are. There are three enemies we are fighting. First is Coal. You've met Coal, have you not?"

Meil nodded. "Yes. Shortly after I learned the Song of the Heaven's Pipe from Lucifer, a man came up to me the next time I visited the church. He told me he would kill me, and my Pokemon if I didn't tell him the Song of the Heaven's Pipe. I ran away, and he couldn't chase me because the church was crowded that day. I hid all my Pokemon, and stayed home where I knew he couldn't get me. And for a while, i'd see him walking around my house, and I was to afraid to go outside.

But after a few months he seemed to give up and left. But I was still afraid. And that's why I had to act like I hated Pokemon. I was afraid for them, more than I was afraid for myself. I hid all of my Pokemon in their Pokeballs in a secret place where he couldn't get them." Now Meil turned to Kyra. "That's why I was mean to you the first time we met. Do you remember?" Kyra nodded, looking somewhat amused by the memory.

"Yes, I remember. I just wouldn't stop would I?" Meil laughed. "Yah, you didn't. But that was it. I didn't want to get attached to any Pokemon at all, because I knew that by taking them in, I would be putting them in danger. I knew the man could hold them hostage, and make me tell him the song. I didn't, and still don't, know why he want's the song, but-" Tony interrupted him.

"I was just getting to that. You were right to be cautious. Coal was watching you, but so were we. Coal was a special and rare gift that he was born with. He has the ability to speak to Pokemon through their minds, that is to say, he was born with telepathy, like some psychic Pokemon have. At first, he did not understand how he seemed to be able to talk to them, but he soon learned it was a powerful weapon. He grew up understanding Pokemon, but also controlling them.

He could control a Pokemon's mind, or influence it you might say to do what he wanted. And as he started to grow stronger, his lust for power grew more and more." "But why did he want to know the Song of the Heaven's Pipe?", Meil asked. "Not long after, he was able to find a powerful artifact called the Heaven's Pipe, and learned of it's power to call upon Arcues at the Spear Pillar.

They say power can destroy a man, and that is exactly what happened. He murdered his family, and anyone who opposed his rise to power. But to his frustration, he could not use the Heaven's Pipe without the song. So he went on a frantic search for it, but was unsuccessful. But one day, he overheard an old man named Lucifer tell a young 12 year old boy the song.

He demanded that you tell him, threatening your death and the death of others, but you refused." "So Coal killed Lucifer?", Meil said, somewhat confused. "Not exactly. He was in on it, but it was not just him. Not to long after your escape, a government organization, also know as our second enemy, got wind of Coal's find. Like Coal, they wanted it for their own self purpose. Theirs was to use Arcues as a war weapon.

Many have heard the rumors of a military organization creating Pokemon for warfare, but that's not a rumor. And more than any, they seek to control the ultimate Pokemon, Arcues. So after they heard of Coal's find, they called upon him to join them. Both joined forces in the delusion that they were helping each other.

But the only reason Coal joined was to use them to find the song. Then he would control Arcues himself. The organization only invited him to join to steal the heaven's pipe, and to use him and his powers like a puppet. They were the one who killed Lucifer Doj after he refused to tell them the song." "That's why he had no Pokemon!", Meil said in realization.

"He knew that if it came to that, he would not have any Pokemon to threaten." "Exactly. But shortly after that, another man heard of the government and Coal's doings. A priest from the Church of Arcues, and our third enemy. Father Genesta he was called. His reason was to preserve Arcues. He wanted to control Arcues, but for different, more religious reasons.

Arcuianst they called themselves. A cult intent on the control of Arcues, believing that their capture of a god will cleanse them or something crazy like that. And the same thing happened again. Father Genesta joined with the military organization and Coal, who they called the "Pipe Bearer". But all of them, Coal, the military, and Father Genesta were doing it all for their own self gain. They are secretly in a race to see who can find the song first, and control Arcues.

They have no intention on joining forces for real. They all intend to betray each other in the end. But now it's time to talk about you Meil. The Heaven's Pipe is useless as long as the bearer does not know the song. As far as we know, there are only two people in the world who know this song. Lucifer Doj, who is now dead. And you, Meil. They are all after you now. They know. That is the purpose of this entire organization. To protect you. And that is Kyra's purpose.

To protect you when we can't be here for you. We intentionally left Kyra in that alleyway that day, knowing that your solitude could not last with our enemies rise of power growing everyday. Kyra was bred from the descendants of the Lucario trained by the legendary Sir Arron. She has powers beyond usual Lucarios. And she must protect you no matter what.

I don't want to alarm you, Meil. But our enemies are going to try whatever they can to obtain the song. Meil, I trust you still remember the song?" Meil nodded, he found himself shaking. "I'v remembered it ever since Lucifer told me three years ago."

"Yes, well now that we had confirmed that you and Kyra had found each other, we knew the time to bring you here was drawing closer. That Soothe Bell,", he pointed to the Soothe Bell hanging around her neck. "was intentionally given to you from the store owner in Eterna City, of whom I was friends with. I had him give you the bell, intending on getting Kyra evolved as soon as possible." Meil thought back.

"Her evolution was sort of convenient, just because we needed her to evolve for the tournament.", Meil observed. Tony shook his head. "That wasn't convenience. That was the Soothe Bell. It was us that set it up so that you would evolve her before the tournament." Meil scratched his head. "But why did you wait until the tournament to bring me to the headquarters?"

"The last time we checked on you was before she'd evolved. We weren't going to take you back to headquarters until she'd evolved. But by the time we returned to check on you, you were all ready at the tournament, and we couldn't just swoop in with Coal there.

But apparently Coal had been tipped off of your location and that you had a Lucario with you, and followed you to the tournament. Did you by chance remember the boy with the Scyther?" Meil remember the sobbing face of the boy as Coal had pushed him down.

"Coal threatened that boy, making him do the dirty work. Coal wanted the boy to use his Scyther to kill Kyra for Coal, but when he lost, as you probably witnessed, Coal was furious that his plan had failed. So when we saw he was next in the tournament, we knew he was going to try to finish off Kyra on his own. That's when we had to take immediate action. And well, you saw what happened then. Do you understand now, Meil?"

Meil felt like some had just slapped him in the face. "S-So all those people, are after me?" Tony nodded grimly. "Yes, I am afraid so, But do not fret. We are here to protect you. But do not, unless you are in grave danger, pass on the Song of the Heaven's Pipe. Anyone who knows it, will be in just as much danger as you are." Meil looked angry all of the sudden.

"Oh, so it's okay if I die, as long as the song is safe?!" Tony shook his head. "That won't happen. We have a plan. We need you to write the song down for us, so that if by some chance something happens, it will remain safe, and the burden will be off your shoulders. Well, most of it anyway.", Tony finished sheepishly.

He took a large book from the nearby desk. It was titled, "The Book of Physics". "Write it in here, on page 109.", Tony instructed. He gave Meil a pen, and Meil slowly began to write each note of the song as he played each part over and over in his head.

When he finished, he gave the book and pen back to Tony, who folded the corner of the page over, and closed the book saying, "What's done is done. We know the song now, and as long as Meil holds this burden, we all do. If we fall, we fall together.

The Order of the Full Moon is now ready for their next mission."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Ghost of the Chateau

Meil felt sick as he lay on his bed, staring up into the dark sleeves of the coats and shirts. He could not believe what was going on. One day, he was quietly sulking in the dark alleys of Jubilife City, and now all kinds of horrible people were after him. He felt more afraid than he had ever felt in his life. Who was going to die like Lucifer had next? His mother? His sister? His entire neighborhood? Even, Kyra?

How far would these people go to get the song? All this was to much for him. Why? Why did he have to know it? He wished he could just erase it from his mind forever, than there would be nobody after him. Nobody would die because of him.

But every time he thought of the song, he heard each notes as clearly as if they were being played directly in his ears. He remembered how Lucifer had played the song on his glass flute that cold rainy day at the Church of Arcues. And that terrifying man, who threatened to kill everyone he held dear.

He heard a knock at the door, and sat up, the images of his past fading away like smoke as Kyra stepped in. "Meil, are you all right?", she asked tentatively, closing the door, and sitting down beside him. Meil shook his head. "No.", he said honestly. Kyra put an arm around him, which made Meil look over at her.

She was smiling, despite Meil's feelings of doom-and-gloom. "Meil, you don't think I can protect you? You don't think I was right for the job?", she asked suddenly. Meil had not been expecting this, and he did not know what to say.

"What? Oh, well... I think you can, Kyra. I do. But think about it. We have three enemies all looking for us. And if the order can't do anything, than it would be just me and you against an army of people who want to kill us. Remember, these people probably have Pokemon too, and from what I hear about them, their Pokemon are probably just as bad as they are."

Kyra put her other arm around him in a close embrace. "Meil, you worry to much. You need to relax.", she said in a calming voice. She leaned in close, and Meil had only just realized how close their faces were.

She closed her eyes, and her lips were just inches away from his when the door suddenly swung open. "Meil, I need to tell something real quick. I- Oh, um... Am I intruding on something?" Tony was framed in the doorway as he looked with a slightly bemused expression as he watched Kyra and Meil on the bed. Both Meil and Kyra turned their heads to look at Tony, who look most embarrassed.

"Er, sorry to interrupt, Meil. But I need to have a word with you, and Kyra too. If you please." Kyra slowly slid off Meil's lap, her face burning crimson.

Meil looked around as he entered to computer room. "Where are Dorin and Alice?", he asked Tony, as he and Kyra sat in the same chairs opposite of Tony as the day before. "Still asleep I expect.", Tony said in a casual tone. "They were up late last night researching."

"Researching what?", Meil asked curiously. "I'm about to tell you.", Tony replied, leaning back in his chair. "Our next plan of action is simple. We plan on destroying the Heaven's Pipe altogether to put it simply. If we destroy it, there will be no point in our enemies chase. As for the song, I have another brilliant idea.", he opened a drawer in one of the desks, and took out the thick book entitled, "The Book of Physics".

"We can erase the song from your mind permanently if you wish." Meil beamed. "Really?!" Tony nodded. "It might not be easy, but if we are able to find the first of the legendary trio, Uxie, it could clear your mind of the song forever.

The only drawback is that it also may wipe out your memory completely. So we decided that did not matter anyhow, seeing as our enemies would not believe us even if we told them it had been wiped from your memory. So right now we must focus on getting the Heaven's Pipe itself." "How are we going to do that?", Meil asked, sounding slightly alarmed by this risky move.

"To our knowledge, the pipe is being held in an abandoned warehouse in Veilstone City. The warehouse was once a hideout for an organization called Team Galactic, but after they cleared out long ago, the military group convinced Coal to keep it under their watch in the warehouse. And it's really advance stuff. The security I mean. We couldn't even get in there!

But after a month of research, we've found the solution! There is a Pokemon known as Rotom. It is extremely rare, and many don't even know about it. But it was the ability to hack into electronics, and wreak havoc. And if we had one, we could easily get into the warehouse with much effort." "So, where can we find one of these?", Meil asked skeptically.

"We've actually heard sightings of a Rotom in the old chateau which is located deep within the Eterna Forest. It's said to appear from a TV in one of the rooms. That the TV sometimes turns itself on, even though the chateau doesn't have any electricity."

Meil raised an eyebrow. "So, I'm guessing that's our next mission?" Tony nodded. "Precisely. We're leaving tonight, around 1:00 in the morning. That's when it's said to be seen."

"1:00 in the morning!?"

"Yes, around that time. The real problem will be catching it though, so be prepared."

Kyra toppled onto the grass, groaning and clutching her stomach. "I don't think i'll ever get used to flying.", she sighed, as Meil helped her off the ground. "Doesn't matter. We're here!", Tony said, gesturing towards an enormous mansion beyond a steel fence.

Everything was surrounded by shadowy trees, with dark vines snaking around the fence and the house itself, giving it the impression of something ancient. It was almost completely dark except for the moon, which sent streams of bluish light through the branches of the trees. It was eerie though; strange calls of unknown creatures echoed in the night, and the shadows of the trees swallowed everything that ventured into them.

"Well, what are all of us standing around for? Let's get a move on!", Alice called, and all three flyers were returned to their Pokeballs as the five dark figures made their way through the gate, and towards the house.

Meil squinted at the growing silhouette of the house, and thought, for a second, he saw a faint glimmer of something through one of the windows, like a small flicker of light. This unnerved him, and he whispered, "Stay close to me.", to Kyra, who took his hand. Meil look over at her face, which had regained it's color after their flight.

What do you think?", he asked her. "This is neat! This old house, it's just so huge, and it looks like nobody has lived here for years!" Meil could not mirror her enthusiasm as accurately. "Yah, I suppose. But it's a bit spooky, isn't it?" Kyra smirked and squeezed his hand. "Why, are you scared?", she said in a teasing voice. "No.", Meil said, a little to quickly.

"Sure you aren't.", she snickered. Tony thankfully switched on a strong flashlight, making a large pool of light on the grass. Meil was now looking up at the old chateau. "Well, here we go.", Tony said bracingly. He pushed the door open, to a rectangle of absolute, pitch-black darkness.

Meil's stomach turned as he walked into the blackness. The inside of the house was much colder than it was outside it, which was very unusual. Tony moved the flashlight's beam across the room, and tiny creatures scattered at the sudden light.

"Where is this room?", Meil asked Tony, but to his surprise, Dorin, who hardly ever said anything, replied, "Go up the balcony and through the right door." Tony nodded, pointing the flashlight up the balcony toward said door. "Let's move."

This door led into a kitchen, which looked just as ancient and crumbling as the rest of the house. "Why is it so cold in here?", Alice shivered. "That'll be all the ghost Pokemon in here. They reduce the temputure in the general area.", Tony explained.

Another door led to a long hallway lined with doors. "We're close.", Dorin said in his flat, expressionless voice. "Everyone stay close. It's gotta be one of these rooms." After trying three different doors that revealed nothing, they opened a door to a large flickering screen coming from a TV in the back of the room.

"This is it!", Tony said in an excited whisper. The TV was flickering static, but between flickers, Meil thought he saw something, like pair of sinister eyes staring at him through screen. Everyone in the room was thrown into a ghostly, flickering light as they drew closer to the TV.

"So, how do we get it out of the TV?", Alice asked, inspecting the TV. Tony scratched his head. "I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. Hmm... Let's try this.", he pressed a few of the buttons on the TV, but nothing happened. "Shoot, what can we do?", me muttered. Alice walked up and banged the top of the TV with her fist. "Come on you damn thing! I didn't come out here for nothing!"

Tony grabbed her wrist. "Alice, don't do that, we need to- AH!" There was a sudden crack like lightning, and a rushing sound like a overloaded power line. The TV screen seemed to explode with light as a small, radiant something flew from the screen, flying straight through the wall.

"There it goes!", Tony yelled, pointing to the place on the wall in had flown through. He threw the door open to a small, red, glowing ball of light grinning maniacally down at them. "Rotom...", Dorin said. Tony nodded. "Exactly! Get em'!" Before Meil could give the command, Kyra was already after it. The Rotom swiveled this way and that as Kyra blasted Dark Pulses across the hall.

It loosed a jolt of electricity that collided with Kyra's Dark Pulse, exploding on impact, dust cascading in a blinding cloud as Kyra tried yet again in vain to even hit the ghost as it flickered in and out of sight. Sometimes in front of her, sometimes behind her. Teasing her; it's strange laughter sounded like radio static.

The Rotom sent a nasty jolt of electricity through Kyra, and she yelped in pain as she was blind-sighted by the attack. Kyra was becoming more and more angry as the Rotom continued to evade her attacks. Her Dark Pulses were being fired in fast succession now, exploding off walls and ceilings as she threw one after the other.

Kyra was panting hard as the Rotom disappeared yet again. Rotom reappeared, this time to her left. And to everyones astonishment, she threw an Aura Sphere, which the ghost hadn't seen coming. Rotom quickly disappeared, but the Aura Sphere simply followed it as it appeared behind her this time. The Rotom braced itself, closing it's eyes tightly as the Aura Sphere simply passed through it, being a fighting type attack, and it being a ghost type.

Kyra took this sudden opportunity to turn around on the spot, and blast it out of the air with a fully charged Dark Pulse. The Rotom was knocked to the floor, where it lay twitching weakly. Tony tossed an Ultra Ball, and it disappeared in a flash of red inside. The Pokeball shook weakly before remaining motionless.

"Thank you, Kyra.", Tony said appreciatively, picking up the Pokeball. "No problem.", Kyra panted, wiping sweat off her forehead, and smiling at Meil, giving him the thumbs up. "Man that was annoying.", she concluded, approaching Meil as they began walking back down the hallway, their new weapon in hand, and their next mission in mind.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Tiny Dancer

The smell of salt in the air aroused Meil to a sense of calm as he sat in the sand, the cool breeze felt pleasant against his face. Tony walked up to Meil from behind. "Hey, Meil. Enjoying your little vacation?" Meil felt the smooth sand between his fingers. "Yes, definitely. Where is this anyway?" Tony shrugged.

"Hoenn probably. That region is know for it's nice beaches." Meil looked around. To his right was the sea, to his left were dunes which stretched to the shadows of mountains in the distance. "I don't think anyone even lives here.", Meil remarked, watching Dorin feed his Tropius yellow fruits from a nearby tree.

"Yah, this place is pretty remote i'd say. I figured we all needed a break from all the action now that we've got Rotom." Meil nodded, watching the sun as it began to fall slowly behind the horizon. "Where's Kyra? She needs to see this sunset.", Meil said, mesmerized as the sky ignited with streaks of pink and orange.

Tony shielded his eyes, looking left and right. "Hm, I'm not sure... Oh, she's over there, doing something in the dunes." He pointed toward a sitting figure in the tall grass, and Meil stood up to get a better look. "What is she doing?", Meil muttered to himself. He walked up to Kyra, who was absently plucking petals off a flower, a dreamy expression on her face.

She seemed to be muttering to herself with every pluck. When the last petal was pulled off, she smiled and whispered something Meil could not make out. "Hey, Kyra!", he waved, and she quickly dropped the bare stem, as if caught doing something private.

"Oh, Meil! Hi! I didn't see you there." Meil smiled as he helped her off the ground. "What were you doing out here? There's an incredible sunset." Kyra blushed. "N-Nothing. Just bored. Plucking flowers, that's all." Meil guided her to the sand, where he took his place beside her.

"It's beautiful.", she sighed, watching the water sparkle with golden light. "Not as beautiful as you." It was out of Meil's mouth before he could stop it, as if he'd said subconsciously. Kyra turned on him in a split second, staring into his face. Meil looked horrified at what he'd just done. He laughed as convincingly as possible and said, "Wow, um... Where did that come from? Sorry about that. It just kind of slipped out and... um... yah."

But to his surprise, Kyra smiled, her face a delicate shade of pink under her fur. "Thank you, Meil. You don't have to apologize. It was a very sweet thing to say." Relief rushed into Meil, drowning his sudden worries. "Oh, well... It's just that it's true.", he said, not able to help the tiny laugh of relief that escaped his lips.

Her face changed at these words; an intent, yet gorgeous stare that Meil had never seen before. "You really think I'm beautiful?", she asked in a quietly tender voice. Meil took a moment to look into her crimson eyes. "Yes, I do.", he said finally. Kyra seemed to be filled with emotion by this.

She stood up and grabbed his hands in her paws, hauling him to his feet in the sand. Meil laughed as Kyra let go of him, dancing in the sand like a graceful ballerina. "What are you doing?" She grabbed his hands yet again, this time dancing with him, as if they were in a ballroom. "I'm dancing!", she replied merrily.

"But why?"

"Because I'm happy!"

"Why are you happy?"

"I just am!", she laughed, her voice full of joy.

"What is with them?", Tony muttered, watching the dancing couple's silhouette against the sunset. Alice grinned, plopping down in the sand, a dreamy expression on her face. "Oh, Tony. You're so thick. They're in love, can't you tell?" Tony raised an eyebrow, still wearing the same bemused expression.

Then he laughed suddenly as Alice's words came back to him.

"A trainer and his Pokemon? In love? Well, that's the damnest thing I'v ever heard."

"It is kind of strange, but it's still sort of romantic, don't you think?"

Tony scratched his head, looking down at his shoes. "Sure, I suppose. Still, I never would of guessed that the same Riolu we left him would end up more than just his guardian." "Mm, hm. That's nice...", Alice sighed, clearly not listening to him anymore.

Meil and Kyra toppled over in the sand, Kyra landing on top of Meil, both of them laughing, ignoring any pain they received from their fall. "That was wonderful!", Kyra exclaimed, holding Meil in her arms as they lay in the cool sand, the sound of the breaking sea replacing their voices.

Meil closed his eyes. If he could've lived any moment forever, it would've been this one. He'd never felt happier in his entire life, even in this time of crisis.

Meil suddenly found himself on the same beach now, expect it was night, and the members of the order were not there. Instead, glowing in the moonlight, was Kyra, her fur strangely luminescent in the light of a full moon. She was dancing though. Beautiful, graceful movements that filled Meil with a feeling of amazement unlike anything he'd ever felt.

She dancing just for him. Only him. And Meil got up from the sand. He wanted to dance with her. He wanted to be with her forever. He ran to her, and as he reached out a hand to touch her, she suddenly disappeared, then the beach disappeared, and there was an echoing voice in his head. "Meil! Hey, Meil! Meil, wake up!" Meil opened his eyes to see Tony looking down at him, his face framed by an evening sky sprinkled with faint stars. "You fell asleep. Come on, it's time to head back."

Kyra was still in her unusually good mood as they were about leave the beach, and she danced all the way to Tony's waiting Salamence.

Meil grinned to himself as he watched Kyra, his tiny dancer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Intrusions and Suspicions

"Rotom, find the wires that connect with the switch to the lock.", Tony whispered, as the tiny red ghost floated through the door of the warehouse. Tony, Alice, and Dorin, were all hiding behind a large pile of empty crates, not daring to make a sound. From inside the door, the seemed to be a lot of whirring and clicking. Then the door suddenly slid open with a clunk.

"Hey, that was easy!", Alice cried happily, skipping over to the Rotom, praising it on it's accomplished mission. "A bit to easy for comfort.", Tony said anxiously, walking through the door to a small dark room lined with boxes, with a staircase leading down.

Alice turned on him exasperatedly. "Sheesh, we finally make progress, and all you do is worry." Tony held up his hands in defense. "All I'm saying is that there might be a trap, so we all need to stay aware of that. That's exactly why we didn't take Meil and Kyra. It would have been to risky to bring them along on this mission. Remember, The Seekers could be here at any moment."

"Yah, yah. We know.", Alice said, rolling her eyes. "Let's all keep at least one Pokemon with us, just in case.", Tony advised. Alice brought out a feisty Weavile, who looked excited to be out in the open; sniffing the air, as if she could smell the action.

Dorin released a strangely calm and quiet Tyranitar; it's expression almost perfectly mirroring it's trainer's of quiet intensity. And Tony, a Scizor, it's blood red armor gleaming in the light of the street lamps. "If I'm right, the pipe should be at the very bottom of the warehouse. We should keep Rotom with us, just incase there are more security devices or locks."

"No problem.", Alice sighed, stretching her fingers absently.

"Something isn't right.", Tony muttered, looking around as if he expected an assassin to jump out and slit their throats at any second, as the three order members and their Pokemon snuck down the dim hallways with whispering footsteps. "What, that you won't shut up about us all being attacked?", Alice sneered, her Weavile holding her around the neck as she piggy-backed on her shoulders.

"Yes, Alice,", Tony said, bitterly. "because in case you haven't noticed, were almost to the bottom floor according to the map we saw, and there hasn't been any resistance besides the security lock in the warehouse door. You'd think you would put up a bit more security in this kind of situation."

A few minutes of uninterrupted walking later, all three stood, looking down the staircase that led to the final floor of the warehouse. "Everyone walk slowly, and steadily. Rotom, go up ahead and see if there are any lasers, detectors, anything suspicious at all." Rotom agreed, speeding off through the wall, and out of sight. A minute later, Rotom returned. "See anything?", Tony asked the ghost. The Rotom shook it's head, "no". "Good, but let's keep cautious all the same."

The stairs led to a long hallway with only one door at the very end. "There it is!", Alice shouted. Upon approaching the door, they found, unsurprisingly, it was locked tight. "Don't worry, Rotom can-", Alice started to say, but Dorin interrupted her. "Tyranitar can do it."

And before any of them could anything, Dorin's Tyranitar sudden blasted the door in with a mighty punch, which was surprising considering Tyranitar's somewhat short limbs. The door was knocked into the room, where it banged against the wall before clanking to ground, the middle of it dented so far in, it looked as though someone had stretched the steel out. "Damn...", Alice breathed, clearly impressed.

The room was small, dimly lit like the rest of the warehouse, by dieing lights on the ceiling. The room contained nothing but a large machine in the back that had three separate, empty pods attached to it, it's purpose seemed to be to keep something inside the pods. Two of the pods were empty, but the one in the middle held a small object illuminated in the faint glow of the ceiling.

Alice walked up to the pod, and peered in side. A small flute, unlike any she'd seen before, with a strange turning device on one side, and oddly placed holes down another. "I think we've found it!", Alice exclaimed, her voice ecstatic with excitement. Tony peered inside also. "Hang on, there's probably a switch to open it."

He searched the machine, and found a large keyboard of buttons. Instinctively, he pressed a small red button that said, "OPEN". The pod opened like a flower in bloom, and Alice was about to grab the pipe, when Tony grabbed her wrist before her fingers had even grazed it's surface.

"Are you kidding? It could be booby trapped!", Tony said, as if he was telling a toddler not to touch an open flame. Alice wrenched her hand away, looking offended. "I just wanted to touch it.", she mumbled, rubbing her wrist and throwing dirty looks at Tony as he had Rotom search the pipe. "Okay, here I go.", he said, taking a deep breath, before picking the pipe up from it's resting place. He flinched, as if he expected an alarm to go off, but nothing happened.

He held the pipe, looking down at it with an expression of disbelief. "We've got it!", he said, his voice now filled with the same feeling of accomplishment as Alice's had been. "Good, let's get out of here. I'm getting tired of walking around this stupid place.", Alice groaned.

All three emerged into the fresh, night air. Tony shook his head, still clutching the pipe tight in his hands. "I can't believe we did it. It was nothing! No interference at all!"

"There may be if we stick around to long.", Alice said, in an almost perfect imitation of Tony, who threw her an annoyed glance as he climbed onto his Salamence with his Scizor.

"Hah, hah. Very comical, Alice.", he said in a tone of sarcasm. "Let's not be to comical, we may call to much attention to ourselves. Watch out! Those bushes could jump up and strangle us at any moment!", Alice mocked, using her "Tony" voice again, making herself crack-up, and even Dorin could not help half-smiling at the look on Tony's face.

Alice jumped down from her Honchkrow whooping and cheering as they landed in the snowy valley, the cave in sight beyond a cluster of evergreens. "Man, I can't wait to tell Meil and Kyra! We're going to destroy that pipe for good, dammit!" Yet Tony did not look as exhilarated, in fact, he looked rather nervous. "Did anyone else hear that?", he asked, and Alice fell silent. "Hear what?" Tony turned his eyes to the stars. "There was flapping like wings around us, other than our wings I mean.

As if we were being followed." Alice scratched her head, her face screwed up as she tried to remember. "Oh, yah. I did hear that. It was sort of a whooshing sound. I thought it was just the wind or something." "Me too. But then I thought I saw something also. Something in the clouds. It disappeared as soon as I saw it, but there was definitely something there." Alice suddenly laughed.

"Tony, you are so paranoid! Every time we go outside you think someone is going to kill us-" BOOM! There was a massive explosion of snow from behind them, showering them in a cascade of snowflakes, and all three of them, including their Pokemon, whirled on the spot to see an enormous shadow looming over them.

A Dragonite, at least five times bigger than a normal one, it's eyes glowing in a sinister fashion, gave a deafening roar, making all of them hold their ears. "What the hell is that!?", Alice screamed, running to clutch her Honchkrow's feathers, as if she intended to cut and run at any moment. Her Weavile hid her face in Alice's hair as the Dragonite roared again, echoing louder than ever.

Then, the Dragonite crouched low to the ground, crushing entire trees under it's belly as it's passengers slid off it's back to face the order. Three men stood beside the Dragonite. One wore a military uniform.

He was the largest of the three, thick, bulky, and tough, a serious look on his snarling face. The second was the shortest, hunched over, holding a long walking stick with a Pokeball placed on top, wearing long robes of white, with strange golden symbols embroidered on the fabric. His tanned face was wrinkled and flabby, like a toads.

He had dark rings around his tired looking eyes, and over a golden chain he wore around his forehead were tufts of white hair, like clouds. And standing next to him, was a tall man, younger than the other two, twenty years old at the most, with dark rings around his eyes like man beside him, but with more, ink-black hair, much paler skin, wearing a long black jacket that went down to his knees. The first man was undoubtedly a man from the military organization.

The second man was most likely Father Genesta. And finally, the last man was Coal, looking coldly down at the order members as they stood paralyzed, as if frozen solid. Coal walked beyond the two other men to look down at Tony, who was now staring back at Coal with the fury contorting his once handsome face. "You followed us?!", he snarled at Coal, who did not flinch.

"Obviously.", Coal muttered, his voice cold and bitter like the snow under his feet. "How?", Tony demanded. "I got General Siege here,", he jerked a thumb back at the tall man wearing the military uniform. "to put a GPS chip on a fake pipe so that we could track it's location, after that, we knew you'd find it by your computers, knowing you would pick it up at the warehouse, and lead us straight to your base."

Tony stared, feelings of anger and stupidity at his own ignorance bubbling up inside him like boiling water. "I should have know this was one of your tricks." Coal laughed; a deep, rattling noise. "You'd think that after all those years we lived in the same house, you should of known I was always a step ahead of you.

I guess it really didn't matter that I was the younger brother, right Tony?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Escape to Cameron

"I'm getting worried, Meil. What if they got caught or something?", Kyra asked in an uneasy voice. Meil flipped though channels on the TV in the kitchen, stopping when he heard Kyra. "We'll just have to trust they know what they're doing.", he said, reaching into a bag of chips he was sharing with Kyra.

"I hope they're okay. If they get captured or die it'll be just you and me." Her voice cracked slightly, and Meil wiped the chip grease on his pants before putting a reassuring arm around Kyra.

"Don't worry, it'll be all right." He did not sound completely sure, but this seemed to calm Kyra slightly. All of the sudden, the entire ground shook underneath them, and there was a loud crash outside the cave.

Kyra grabbed Meil, burying her face in his poncho as she cried, "It must be an earthquake! The cave is going to collapse, Meil! We have to get out!" Meil flew down the hall with Kyra following behind. As soon as Meil was in the computer room, he mashed the red button to open the door. "Come on! Come on you stupid-!" The door finally finished unlocking itself, and slid open for them.

Meil grabbed Kyra, and shot across the stone to the mouth of the cave. But to his surprise, the cave did not seemed to be affected by the sudden tremor. Then his stomach turned as he saw an enormous, dark something in the valley, facing Tony, Alice, and Dorin with menacing eyes that glowed like fire.

Meil pulled Kyra behind a thick evergreen as the monstrous creature bent it's body down; Meil could hear trees snap under it as it lowered itself to the ground. Then he heard a familiar voice speak, and heard Tony's voice talk back to the Coal.

For a minute, Meil could hear nothing but the grunting of the giant creature, Coal and Tony exchanging words in hostile tones, and Kyra, who was whimpering, trying to appear as little as possible behind the tree.

Suddenly, there was another loud crash, and Meil screamed, "Watch out!", as the titanic shadow suddenly swung it's long, thick tail, chopping the thick tree that they had been standing behind in half.

Meil and Kyra were showered in evergreen needles and snow as branches crashed down on top of them. Meil put his arms around Kyra's head to protect her as sharp branches and splinters fell from above.

Meil winced in pain as a thick branch hit his left shoulder with tremendous force; it felt like some had taken a wooden 2x4 and whacked his shoulder with it. The only good this did was make Meil feel relieved, because if he hadn't been protecting Kyra with his arms, she would have taken the branch to the head.

Finally, the rain of falling debris stopped, and Meil moved his shoulder slightly, which stung and throbbed uncomfortably, but hadn't broken anything as far as he knew, though it would probably leave a painful bruise.

Kyra looked up now that the onslaught was over, and saw Meil's face grimacing in pain. "Meil, what happened? Are you okay?" Meil nodded, trying to smile through his discomfort, his vision blurry with tears of pain. He adjusted his glasses on his nose and shrugged his shoulders a little. It hurt, but not as much as it would have if he'd broke an arm or something.

"I'm fine. It's a good thing I covered you, or those branches would have killed you." Kyra smiled. "That was a very brave thing to do. Even though I'm the one that's supposed to be protecting you." Meil scratched his head and smiled sheepishly saying, "Oh, yah. But it's just sort of a natural instinct." Kyra embraced him suddenly and said, "Thank you, for sacrificing yourself for me."

"Anytime.", Meil grinned. Suddenly, Meil felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun on the spot to face Dorin, who simply said, "We must leave this place." Meil looked behind what remained of the tree, and saw Alice and Tony's Pokemon battling Coal's, and two other mens Pokemon fiercely.

Meil recognized Coal's black Charizard as it swooped after Tony's Salamence, firing jets of white-hot flames into the air. Meil and Kyra broke into a run, towards Dorin's Tropius. "Tyranitar!", Dorin called. Dorin's Tyranitar quickly finished off one of the mens Gengar with a Shadow Claw that knocked it across the valley to land crumpled in the snow.

Dorin returned the Tyranitar to it's Pokeball in a rush, and next thing Meil knew, Dorin had jumped on the Tropius's back in front of them. Unlike Tony's Salamence that only went Tony yelled, "Go!", Dorin simply knocked his heels against Tropius's side, and it's four enormous wings, that looked like the wide leaves of a tropical plant, began beating the air as it quickly rose into the air.

Then the Tropius suddenly fired a flurry of Magical Leaves into the air and let out a roar. This appeared to be a signal, because the next second, Tony and Alice were returning their Pokemon and climbing onto their fliers. Alice's Honchkrow took off in a gust of black feathers, and Tony's Salamence gave a loud roar before taking off behind her.

They were all in the air at last, and Meil could see Dorin knocking his heels on the Tropius's side again. The Tropius spread it's wings wide apart, and suddenly beat them with incredible strength. As they began flying faster and higher into the night sky, and through the clouds, Kyra was holding onto Meil from behind so tightly, he was being half strangled. When the Tropius pumped it's wings and sent them even higher, Kyra gasped, "Oh, my-!"

"Kyra, don't look down!" Meil advised, looking down himself to see what looked like nothing but green and gray squares dotted with specks of light below them. He felt dizzy, and kept his eyes to the back of Dorin's lab coat instead.

When Tony and Alice finally caught up with them, Tony called, "Watch out! They're after us!"

"What do mean, 'after us'? You mean on that huge thing they were on before?", Meil asked.

"Yes,", Tony said, raising his voice as a sudden gust of wind filled their ears. "it's a Dragonite, except it's bigger than any I'v ever seen!" Meil looked behind him, and had to stop himself from yelling in fright.

The Dragonite, which was bigger than any airplane that had ever flown, was beating it's massive wings from behind them, causing entire clouds to swirl as the air circulated around it's wings. It's glowing eyes watched them eerily, sometimes the only thing visible when the clouds obscured it.

Kyra looked behind her too, and unlike Meil, was unable to help her scream of terror as the colossal Dragonite followed them through the clouds. "Oh, god! Meil! Meil, I want to get back on the ground! Oh, my god! Oh, my god!" Kyra's continuous screams were getting more high pitched as she put another stranglehold on Meil.

Tony suddenly dropped from the clouds to fly beside them and yelled towards them, "All of us are going to fly real close, then we'll all go off in different directions. I'm going under the Dragonite. Alice is going right, and you guys are going to fly left! Got it?"

"Yes.", Dorin nodded, as he thumped his right heel on Tropius, who turned right to fly close to Tony, who was flying close to Alice, so that Dorin was on his right, and Alice on his left. "Now! Break ranks!", Tony called. Dorin knocked his heel left, and his Tropius suddenly swung left so abruptly, it almost unseated Meil and Kyra, making Kyra cry out yet again and grip Meil tightly.

Meil looked behind him, and could see the Dragonite looked befuddled; looking below, then left, the right. Finally, he decided to chase the closest, Tony, who's Salamence was right under it's belly. But the Dragonite was so massive, that when it went it attempted a midair summersault, it began loosing altitude, beating it's wings furiously to get back up to Tony.

But Tony came to him, flying under the Dragonite yet again. This time the Dragonite thrashed it's tail, and Meil cried, "Tony!", as the Dragonite's tail collided with the Salamence, which began falling at an alarming speed toward the earth.

Meil could make out Tony barely holding onto the Salamence's back, his body flying upward, as the Salamence was heavier than he was, which made it fall faster than Tony. Meil nudged Dorin, who didn't even turn to look at Meil, but simply said, "I saw. Do not worry, they've survived worse hits." Meil looked over at the two, still falling figures.

"But the Salamence isn't flying-" "Wait.", Dorin said. Suddenly, the Salamence spread it's wings, and their descent was slowed, and then stopped, as the Salamence's wings filled with air, and it began to regain altitude. The Dragonite, clearly convinced that it had taken Tony out, had flown higher to seek out Dorin and Alice.

"What is the Dragonite doing?", Dorin asked Meil. Meil looked up at the Dragonite's enormous shadow in the clouds above. "It's way up there!", Meil said. "I think he's trying to find the rest of us!"

"We need to lose it.", Dorin said, and he knocked his heels two times.

Suddenly, the Tropius pointed itself at the earth, and began to dive almost vertically. The wind was blowing so hard in their faces that it seemed to make Kyra incapable of screaming, so she simply buried her face in the back of Meil's poncho and held on for dear life.

Meil looked to his right and saw Tony's Salamence and Alice's Honchkrow also diving towards the ground. Meil turned his attention to the earth growing ever closer. He saw a large castle almost straight in front of them.

Tony flew in closer to them and yelled, "When did we get to Kanto?" "Is this Kanto?", Dorin asked. "Yah, that's Cameron Castle. Let's land there! It would be a good place to hide!" Tony turned right now to pass on the same message to Alice. Now they were diving faster than ever. Meil closed his eyes; it looked as though they were going to crash.

But he felt a light airiness as the Tropius landed gracefully in what appeared to be a courtyard outside the castle. Meil looked up, and saw that the Dragonite had already flown over the castle; it hadn't noticed them. Tony and Alice landed a few feet away.

Alice's red hair was swept back, and she was laughing her head off. "Oh, man! That was a hell of a ride! Damn! That was something, huh?! Hah, hah! Freakin' awesome, man!" Meil could not have agreed less, and Kyra was probably incapable of disagreeing, or even saying anything at the moment. Meil caught her before she toppled onto the ground, her entire body shaking.

"Don't worry, We're on solid ground now. See?" Meil gestured toward the general area, but Kyra simply nodded, slowly regaining her breath and color in her face. "Yah... Solid ground.", she muttered, staring blankly up at the sky. "Come on, let's get inside just in case the Dragonite flies over again.", Tony said, returning his Salamence.

Alice returned her Honchkrow in exchange for her Chatot, which perched on her shoulder, muttering to itself in Alice's voice. Dorin returned his Tropius also, but not before giving it an affectionate pat on it's flank. "Good job.", Dorin said, a rarely seen smile on his pale, pointed face. They walked to the only door in the courtyard, which was streaming golden light from the small window onto the grass.

It appeared to be dressing room, thickly lined with various dress, gowns, suits, and pants. But other things too; ties, necklaces, purses, and other various accessories. The room was empty of people, but Meil could see a Glameow sleeping contently on a pile of clothes atop of one of the tall dressers.

Tony grabbed one of the suits from the racks. "Come on. If we're going to blend in here, we need to wear these clothes. It'll make us less noticeable if The Seekers come looking for us here. Just leave your regular clothes here. We'll retrieve them before we leave."

Kyra shuffled through masses of dresses on a nearby rack. "Ah, Kyra. You're aware you don't need to dress up. You're a Pokemon, remember?", Meil reminded her. Kyra pulled out a gaudy red dress and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in a corner, holding it in front of her to see the effect.

"I know, but I'v never worn clothes. And I thought that since everyone else was dressing up, I could too." Meil picked a green and red striped tie from a pile of clog shoes. "We aren't playing 'dress-up' you know. We need these disguises so we're not recognized." Kyra put the dress away saying, "Geez, you sound like Tony."

"I heard that!", Tony said loudly, as Alice put on his neck tie for him. "You're just pissed because you know it's true.", Alice chortled, tugging the tie tight around Tony's neck. "You're pissed... it's true...", her Chatot uttered in Alice's voice. Tony just mumbled as Alice brushed lint off his suit. "Hm, spiffy...", she remarked, adjusting his tie. "Spiffy...", her Chatot mimicked.

"How's this?", Kyra's voice asked from Meil's right, as he took off his poncho, and slipped a black tuxedo over his shirt. Meil turned and stood rooted to the spot. Kyra was wearing an elegant violet dress, that flowed around her legs like water.

She wore matching gloves on her paws, and Meil wondered how she'd found gloves that would fit on her paws, considering most of the gloves in the room were made for fingers, not paws.

And for effect, she wore clip-on earrings on each of her perky ears, a thin golden chain around her neck with the Soothe Bell he'd given. She twirled, watching her dress glide around her. "How do I look?", she asked, looking up at him.

Meil blinked, feeling her question finally register in his temporarily stunned brain. "Brilliant...", he breathed. "Absolutely brilliant." She blushed, fidgeting with one of her head pieces. "Thank you.", she said, her voice faint in embarrassment.

Alice twirled around the room singing in her long, blindingly yellow dress. "I feel so beautiful... La, la, la...", she sang, waking up the Glameow, who looked down at Alice irritably, jumping down from the dresser and escaped through the half-open door that lead out of the dressing room. "Beautiful... Beautiful...", her Chatot sang in unison.

"How do I look?", Alice asked the room. "Um, bright.", Tony replied honestly squinting as the yellow sequins on her dress reflect the light in room. "Thanks, I know. I was going to where this one, but I thought it made me look to... slutty."

"Slutty...", Chatot agreed. She held up an extremely skimpy, backless, black dress, before putting it back on it's rack. Tony raised an eyebrow, and Dorin simply rolled his eyes back to buttoning his suit. Both had obviously been imaging Alice wearing that dress.

Tony's face was slightly flushed as he asked, "Everyone ready to go?" They all nodded, and Tony lead them out the door to a corridor lit by a large crystal chandelier. "Which way do we go?", Meil asked, looking up and down the corridor.

"Doesn't matter,", Tony said, looking absently up at the chandelier. "all we have to is hang around until we're sure The Seekers aren't looking for us around here." Alice leaned against the stone wall saying, "Well I'm not going to sit around and wait until the coast is clear. I want to do something fun!"

Tony was about to respond, when a woman in a blue maids outfit walked around the corner, stopping when she saw them. "Oh, hello.", she said with a welcome smile, "I'm sure you're wondering where they're holding the festival." Meil, who was closest, scratched his head, "Um, I don't-" But Alice suddenly interrupted him, jumping in front of him.

"Yah! We were just on our way! We just lost our way. Can you point us in the right direction?" "Alice you shouldn't...", Tony whispered, but the maid had already pointed them down towards the right, and Alice, pulling up her dress so it wouldn't drag on the stone floor, began running as fast as possible while wearing a large, lacy, pluming dress. "Come on! Last one there is a rotten Exeggcute!", she shouted behind her. "Rotten... Rotten...", Her Chatot echoed.

"She has to much enthusiasm.", Tony said exasperatedly, walking past the bemused looking maid with the stride of a sophistication. As Meil walked past the maid with Kyra, he heard he remark, "Hey, that's a Lucario. She'll fit right in at the festival. Have fun!"

Upon walking through the door at the end of the corridor, they entered a massive room that was decorated so brightly, so elegantly, that it made both Meil and Kyra gasp in amazement.

Long streamers and ribbons hung from the wall and ceiling, an orchestra currently playing a quiet lullaby in the back of the room. Crowds of men and women in dresses and suits, some dancing on the pink-tiled dance floor, a few crowded in front of the refreshments table.

A golden chandelier, much larger and more impressive than the one in the corridor, hung from the high, golden, domed ceiling. In the front of the room, a woman in a long, pink dress with blonde hair sat in a throne, a jeweled crown perched her head, watching the dancing crowds with a calm expression.

A bored looking old woman in a black maids uniform stood beside the throne, plucking her tightly curled hair unconsciously. A few of the massive arch windows were open, letting in the cool night air. Alice ran up to them from the crowd.

"Hey! There you are! Apparently they're celebrating so sort of festival. I think it's for this guy." She pointed towards a portrait over the throne. "Sir Arron.", Tony said. "Yah, him.", Alice nodded. "I don't know what it's all about, but at least it'll give us something to do. Besides, I'm starving. I haven't eat anything since we were at the beach." She quickly made a beeline for the refreshments.

"I think i'll get something to eat too.", Tony sighed, and followed Alice. Dorin muttered something about, "nothing else to do", before striding over to a young woman wearing a dress of flowered lilac. Meil watched as Dorin bowed to the woman, who looked older than both Dorin and Meil, not to mention much taller than Dorin, but she smiled, and took her arm in his, and they strode onto the dance floor.

Meil scratched his head. How had he done that? Dorin must be truly fearless if he could approach girls like that. Meil looked at Kyra standing beside him. She noticed him staring at her, and returned his gaze. "You want to dance?", she asked, offering her arm to him. It was as if she was reading Meil's mind.

Meil did not know how to dance. Heck, he'd never danced in his life! Not including that time on the beach. But that had been different. Everyone here was dancing slow, and in rhythm. Meil grabbed Kyra's waist, and Kyra put her arms around his neck, pushing their faces close together.

Meil was quickly aware of a few of the dancing couples that surrounded them were staring at him and Kyra as they danced in slow, steady circles. Kyra seemed to notice this as well, and whispered, "Why is everyone looking at us?"

Meil heard a woman dancing nearby say in a hushed tone, "That's something you don't see to often..."

"I guess it's not everyday they see a guy and his Pokemon as a couple.", Meil muttered. Kyra smiled. "So I guess we're unique?" Meil just shrugged. "Yah, I suppose you could say that."

Maybe they were unique. Unique, strange, even bizarre. But if that was so, then Meil did not mind being unique. He did not care what people thought anymore. Because he was unable to deny it any longer.

He knew now, he was honestly, and truly in love with Kyra.


End file.
